Thursday, February 22, 2018

Sukey and Elizabeth Novogratz combine to bring forth the
meditation focused: Just Sit: A Meditation
Guidebook for People Who Know They Should But Don't (click the title to
view on Amazon). Released in late 2017, the book serves as an odd combination
between self-help, meditation history and meditation for dummies. While the
last term may suggest something negative, instead I see it as the old
technology books that would allow the scared novice to learn Microsoft Windows
or Adobe Photoshop in an easy to approach, straight forward manner. The Novogratz
do just that, and while they often repeat the text’s title mantra of “just
sitting” they work hard to make their points.

Loose, informative, and easy to read, the authors lay out
the what, how, why, and when of meditation. Focusing on health and happiness,
noting that like running, this movement will one day take western countries by storm,
they graphically and quickly lay the foundation of the process. At times silly,
at times serious, they illustrate away and even go as far as to give a step-by-step
program in which the reader goes from just sitting for a couple minutes a day,
and over weeks finds themselves meditating for a more substantial period of
time. Yes, the goal is twenty minutes a day, but like long and strenuous
periods of exercise, they recognize that people will land where they land, but that
the act of sitting (to meditate) will be enough in the end. All-in-all, if you
love the idea of meditation, a sound mind, and a thankful life, give the book a
read. It will motivate you, get you thinking, and maybe even compel you to
build a meditation haven in your domicile.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

As I teach a film theory class and explore the various film
movements throughout history, I have also been tackling the various novels and
plays that these films have been based on. Robert Bloch’s Psycho came up on such a list, so I dug into
the 1959 novel that launched Hitchcock’s legendary thriller. Having seen the
film countless times (and the unfortunate remake from the 1990’s), the plot of
the novel comes with no surprise.

Click the picture to purchase and support.

Bloch creates a classic thriller, allowing the reader to
enter the minds of nearly every major character and to understand their
motivations. In print, the reader grows to understand Marion, her plight, and
why she takes off with a large sum of money. We are privy to her moral crisis,
to the sly and shifty sale of cars, and to her determination to set things
right before her untimely murder. We are present in a different way when she
accidentally toy’s with Norman, prying at his maternal relationship without
fully knowing that such actions will spell her doom.

Similarly, Norman comes across as more the victim. An active
player yes, but one covering for his mother despite the truth. He can’t sleep
at night, he struggles with covering for her murder, and he lacks the wry smile
of his silver screen portrayal. This Norman is not the glowing, attractive
model of Anthony Perkins fame, but instead presents a classic oddity. Large and
awkward in both social graces and appearances, Norman is not a charmer—instead he
looks every bit the crazed creature, the one that might unnerve you.

Either way, the novel is terse, fast paced, and a great
compliment to the proliferation of media surrounding the story of Normal Bates
and company.

Monday, February 12, 2018

After hearing about it for years, I finally grabbed David
Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas and gave it a read.
First off, this book is not for everyone. It is about the journey, a journey
full of jagged edges in all the right ways, and its postmodern, experimental
style will make you first work to understand the six disparate story lines and
then to combine the storylines into one opus. Ranging from nineteenth century
colony exploration to a murder mystery to a society of slave replicants to the post-apocalyptic
remains of humanity, Mitchell digs into the human psyche. His characters are
concerned about, searching for, and trying to find meaning in general.

In a sense, Mitchell exposes the fundamental exploration of
humanity: meaning, purpose, and of course survival. While not littered with the
term existentialism, a cursory analysis reveals a notary clinging to life and a
meaning, a composer unable to come to grips with his existence while finally
creating his one true opus, a reporter in a quest to expose her abilities and
the dangers of a nuclear power plant, a publisher trying to escape an inexplicable
commitment to a retirement home, a freed clone seeking to understand a world of
slavery, and a final remnant of humanity clinging to his choices in an effort
to both survive and find his humanity. Like I stated earlier, this piece is
about the journey, the fascination, the dialects, and the mysterious overlaps
that will haunt you as you look for the comet hiding in the heavens or
lingering as a birthmark on the shoulder.